YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Police on Monday fired a water cannon at hundreds of protesters in Myanmar’s capital who are demanding back military handpower from elected officials as protests against last week’s coup intensified and spread to more parts of the country. the country.
The demonstrations in Naypyitaw, which have been going on for several days, are especially important as the city, where many officials and their families live, has no tradition of protest and a heavy military presence.
A protest also rose at a major downtown intersection in Yangon, the country’s largest city, with people chanting slogans, invoking a three-finger salute that is a symbol of resistance, and signs saying ‘Reject the military coup. ‘and’ Justice for Myanmar. “
There were also reports of new demonstrations in cities in the north, southeast and east of the country, as well as in the city of Mandalay, where a parade of demonstrators and motorcycles took place.
“We don’t want the military junta,” said Daw Moe, a protester in Yangon. “We never wanted this junta. Nobody wants it. All people are ready to fight them. “
State media first referred to the protests on Monday, claiming they endangered the country’s stability.
“Democracy can be destroyed if there is no discipline,” said a statement by the Ministry of Information, read on state television station MRTV. “We will have to take legal action to prevent acts that violate state stability, public security and the rule of law.”
The coup was seen internationally as a shocking setback for Myanmar, which had made strides towards democracy in recent years after five decades of military rule. The takeover came on the day that newly elected lawmakers would take up their seats in parliament after the November election. The generals have said the vote was marred by fraud – although the country’s election commission has rejected that claim.
The growing protests are a reminder of earlier movements in the Southeast Asian country’s long and bloody struggle for democracy. On Sunday, tens of thousands of protesters gathered at the city’s Sule Pagoda, which was a focal point of anti-military demonstrations during a mass uprising in 1988 and again during a 2007 uprising led by Buddhist monks. The military used deadly force to end both uprisings. Apart from a few officers, no soldiers have been on the streets during protests in the past week.
Photos from the standoff in Naypyitaw on Monday showed a huge crowd of protesters trapped on various sides by large numbers of police and police vehicles. Officers there trained a water cannon on the crowd, which had gathered near a giant statue of Aung San, who led the struggle for independence from Britain in the 1940s and is the father of Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader elected last week was deposed. to take over. Suu Kyi – who became an international symbol of the country’s struggle for freedom while detained in her home for 15 years and earned the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts – is now under house arrest again.
The risks of such clashes were highlighted on Sunday in the city of Myawaddy, on Myanmar’s eastern border with Thailand, when police shot up into the air in an attempt to disperse a crowd. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an independent watchdog group, said a woman had been shot, without providing details of her condition.
There is no indication that the protesters or the military will withdraw in their fight for the country’s legitimate government: the politicians of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, which won the recent elections by landslide, or the junta. Suu Kyi’s party has demanded international recognition as the legitimate representatives of the people.
A call for a general strike was issued late on Sunday by various activist groups in Yangon, but it was not clear whether it had been widely disseminated or adopted by the informally organized civil disobedience movement at the forefront of the protests.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners says 165 people, mostly politicians, have been detained since the Feb. 1 coup, with only 13 released.
A foreigner has been confirmed by authorities, Sean Turnell, an economist at Australia’s Macquarie University who was an advisor to Suu Kyi’s government. He was detained under unclear circumstances on Saturday.
A statement released Monday by the office of Australian Secretary of State Marise Payne said he was receiving consular support and described him as “a highly regarded adviser, member of the academic community.”
“We certainly believe he should be released immediately,” he said.
The military has accused Suu Kyi’s government of not following up on its complaints that last November’s election was marred by fraud, although the election commission said it had found no evidence to support the allegations.